In my previous post I discussed a basic plan of upgrades I have been contemplating for my camper. One of those included removing the roof top AC unit altogether and going with a Truma Air Combo Heater / AC unit like this.Edit: Just found this as the Truma Air is only for European markets. This looks to be for US markets.It is a AC / Heater unit designed to fit under a bed or in my case the dinette seating in place of the current furnace. Granted, this is for the European market so it is setup for 240v but that is fust a flip of a switch on an inverter so not a big deal in my opinion.I recently connected with a boat repair shop and we discussed some future projects on the exterior of the camper to include removing the rear awning (never used and weathered anyway). Removing an older rigid solar panel on the roof held on by screws and sealing screw holes. Removing radio antenna from roof. Removing AC unit from roof and deleting opening entirely and finally, possibly removing the railing on the rear of the roof camper and sealing all of those holes.All of this is in preparation of resealing the entire roof and then laying down as much solar as we can. 400w should be easy but 600w or more are probably also doable using custom solar panels (flexible time held down with eternabond tape). The goal in this is to eliminate as many screw holes and openings on the roof and open up as much space as possible for solar.Getting back to the AC unit. I've been contemplating going with this Truma Air Saphire unit that can be installed under the dinette where the current furnace is. I can reuse all of the ducting as well making installation a breeze. These are all pretty big upgrades but the end goal is to have a sealed roof with as little penetrations as necessary and a new AC unit that can be run off of the solar and batteries.Does anyone have any experience with something similar? Or, does anyone know of something similar to the Truma Air that is an alternative?

Not knowing what it's power draw is, can't comment on that. But cost, apparent lack of local service/support (mostly a european item, correct?) and does it have enough cooling power (for lack of a better word) since it only cools at most about 20deg F.But I understand these considerable "upgrades" to your camper and truck are more of a hobby and not necessarily based on ROI, so go for it! Interested to hear how well it works.

Grit dog wrote:Not knowing what it's power draw is, can't comment on that. But cost, apparent lack of local service/support (mostly a european item, correct?) and does it have enough cooling power (for lack of a better word) since it only cools at most about 20deg F.But I understand these considerable "upgrades" to your camper and truck are more of a hobby and not necessarily based on ROI, so go for it! Interested to hear how well it works.Edited my first post as I managed to find this unit for the US. It looks to be pretty close to the same thing but for the US and has the following specs:- Cooling capacity: 9,000 BTU/H with 8.5 EER efficiency- Heating capacity: 9,000 BTU/H with 2.6 C.O.P.- Voltage: 110~120V, 60Hz, 1Ph- Operational Temperature Range: 19 - 104°F- Pre-charged with R410a refrigerant and ready to installOne downfall I see is the heater is not propane powered so it may not be very practical for extended heating if pulling off batteries. We usually turn the furnace off at night anyway and might just change to a diesel heater or a Mr. Buddy heater type setup to mitigate that.Yes, the upgrades are a bit of a hobby and to try something different. It also has utilitarian use as I will be using the camper a lot for cross country trips.

I think your original unit you mentioned was 50hz. Not sure if that would be an issue.Using the 240v model you would need a 12v/240v inverter as a stand alone power supply as I think most truck camper systems are 120v 1ph. Looking at the specs for your revised unit it's 120v 60hz which is good in the sense that's it's compatible with camper's existing electrical system.You missed listing the most important specs above.Cooling draws 8.8a and heating draws 7.2a.Your going to need a ton of battery's to power those devices yeah?I would think an electric heater would be my last choice for heating. Not sure why your getting rid of your rooftop unit unless it doesn't work or ?Good luck on whichever way you go.

If planning to run on solar-battery.... I would be looking at a 240v mini-split heat pump with 2x or 3x the SEER.Will need that under seat space for the monster LFP battery, solar controller and inverter.

A small mini split can be had for less than $900 with a SEER that is double the unit your looking at. one exampleAnd that higher SEER of 19 is not the limit, higher SEER units are out there, albeit at higher cost.

Why shouldn't I go this route? (AC Roof Delete)

pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 05, 2022
Killingsworth wrote:
Adamis,
I have been looking into the "ecoflow" system for a variety of reasons.
Google "Delta Pro" "EcoFlow" They produce a entire system that works well for RV life, including a A/C unit, Dual fuel generator, gasoline/propane and other devices.
It is well worth a look

It is over priced.
Killingsworth
Explorer
Sep 04, 2022
Adamis,
I have been looking into the "ecoflow" system for a variety of reasons.
Google "Delta Pro" "EcoFlow" They produce a entire system that works well for RV life, including a A/C unit, Dual fuel generator, gasoline/propane and other devices.
It is well worth a look
pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 01, 2022
adamis,

Look under school buses?
adamis
Nomad II
Sep 01, 2022
Well, came to a bit of a complication... In my research on both the Truma Air and the Pioneer under bench units, it turns out they are designed to be vented through the floor while the location I was looking at, it has to vent out the side. There technically is enough space I think to put together some sort of ductwork to achieve what is needed but that makes installation way more complicated than I am necessarily looking for. It isn't that I couldn't do it but I am not sure I want to modify the camper that much just for my kicks and giggles project.

in light of this development, I have a few options...

1. Abandon the project entirely and stick with a new roof top AC unit (what is the fun and learning in that)?...

2. Keep searching for a unit that vents out the side like I need.

3. Modify my bench to allow for ducting to make the Truma Air or Pinoeer work as required.

4. Build my own AC unit for exactly what I want and then create a company and sell it to truck camper builders.

I have the skills and resources to tackle step 4 but not necessarily the bandwidth (I already have a few businesses I'm running). Unless there is an option I have not found, I am surprised there isn't an AC/Heater heat pump designed specifically for the truck camper market.

It is going to take some thinking on this to see where I want to go.
Bedlam
Moderator
Sep 01, 2022
We have pets that stay in AC while we are out. When it is like this, we seek a hookup or run the generator.
mbloof
Explorer
Aug 31, 2022
adamis wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
mkirsch wrote:
The reality of this discussion is you're not going to get anything but armchair quarterbacking and naysaying, as nobody has experience with doing what you are trying to do. It's not like installing fender flares.

The reason you aren't seeing a lot of people doing it is because it's impractical.

When you do find the rare person claiming to have done it, they gloss over the severe limitations. Just because most of us have looked at the numbers and realized it's not practical doesn't mean we don't know what we are talking about.

No naysaying, show us the numbers for a system that works. Either you can or you can't.

What we have discovered in other discussions is that this will work in some parts of the country and might not in other parts. On the West Coast, even on hot days we typically need the AC to run maybe for lunch while on the road and for an hour or two in the evening to cool the camper down. Most of the places you want to camp are going to cool down in the evening so only 2 to 3 hours of AC run time are necessary to make a substantial impact on camping experience.

Contrast that with folks in the South where it stays hot and humid throughout the day and evening and the AC needs to run 24/7 then solar and batteries won't cut it. However, there is still a lot of advantage in those locations to being able to run the AC on battery for two or three hours and I still think would be worthwhile for those inclined to do it. If you end up needing more, you are already lugging around a generator anyway or plugging into shore power so you aren't taking away your options, just adding to them.

A much simpler solution for the "camping experience" is to actually experience camping.

Many folks (myself included) are only in our truck campers to: sleep and maybe eat, use rest room and eat. (unless of course foul weather drives us inside)

While an hour or two of AC might come in handy while on the road to a destination while getting lunch in the camper, once actually at a camp spot opening the windows/vents and using a fan 'just works' for most of us.

Granted YMMV and obviously different folks have different definitions and expectations of 'camping'.

- Mark0.
valhalla360
Navigator
Aug 31, 2022
adamis wrote:

What we have discovered in other discussions is that this will work in some parts of the country and might not in other parts. On the West Coast, even on hot days we typically need the AC to run maybe for lunch while on the road and for an hour or two in the evening to cool the camper down. Most of the places you want to camp are going to cool down in the evening so only 2 to 3 hours of AC run time are necessary to make a substantial impact on camping experience.

Contrast that with folks in the South where it stays hot and humid throughout the day and evening and the AC needs to run 24/7 then solar and batteries won't cut it. However, there is still a lot of advantage in those locations to being able to run the AC on battery for two or three hours and I still think would be worthwhile for those inclined to do it. If you end up needing more, you are already lugging around a generator anyway or plugging into shore power so you aren't taking away your options, just adding to them.

So basically, if you don't really need air/con, it will run the air/con for long enough is what you are suggesting.

If you can run it for an hour or two in the evening and then it's cool enough the rest of the night...I've found in those conditions a shady site and/or the windows open/fans blowing thru will cool it to comfortable levels quicker.

If we are just stopping for lunch and it's hot, by the time it's cooling off noticeably, we would typically be back on the road.

It's such a narrow window of usefulness it's really not worth the trouble. Doubly so when you figure in the high cost and complexity of building a system that can run for even these short time periods.

Now if you are deep into building a big solar/battery systems and know all the pros and cons and how you would use it, have at it. But for the random person with little prior knowledge, highlighting the severe limitations compared to the cost & complexity of implementation, for most it's just silly to think it's a reasonable option.
time2roll
Nomad
Aug 31, 2022
If I could push the 2 hour run time into 4 to 6 hours through a more efficient chiller that would be worth considering IMO. More effective than going 2x or 3x on battery and solar. Otherwise the existing plan will work fine for what it is.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Aug 31, 2022
Ok, I live on the "West Coast" and while what you say may be true on a "travel" day where you only use the camper at lunch and then beginning in the evening, there isn't a chance in ____ that your camper doesn't get screamin hot sitting about anywhere in Cali that you can reasonably drive it to, ALL day on an average summer day...

This thought is even less practical than $750 shocks, unfortunately.

The endless pursuit for a better mousetrap is what makes the world go around. But many/most times, re-inventing the wheel is less than fruitful.

Or think of it this way, IF what you're proposing was even remotely practical or cost effective, do you not think that at least a few of the 100s? of RV manufacturers would not have already employed this idea?
adamis
Nomad II
Aug 31, 2022
valhalla360 wrote:
mkirsch wrote:
The reality of this discussion is you're not going to get anything but armchair quarterbacking and naysaying, as nobody has experience with doing what you are trying to do. It's not like installing fender flares.

The reason you aren't seeing a lot of people doing it is because it's impractical.

When you do find the rare person claiming to have done it, they gloss over the severe limitations. Just because most of us have looked at the numbers and realized it's not practical doesn't mean we don't know what we are talking about.

No naysaying, show us the numbers for a system that works. Either you can or you can't.

What we have discovered in other discussions is that this will work in some parts of the country and might not in other parts. On the West Coast, even on hot days we typically need the AC to run maybe for lunch while on the road and for an hour or two in the evening to cool the camper down. Most of the places you want to camp are going to cool down in the evening so only 2 to 3 hours of AC run time are necessary to make a substantial impact on camping experience.

Contrast that with folks in the South where it stays hot and humid throughout the day and evening and the AC needs to run 24/7 then solar and batteries won't cut it. However, there is still a lot of advantage in those locations to being able to run the AC on battery for two or three hours and I still think would be worthwhile for those inclined to do it. If you end up needing more, you are already lugging around a generator anyway or plugging into shore power so you aren't taking away your options, just adding to them.

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